Information sharing system, information sharing method and terminal device

ABSTRACT

An information sharing system includes a computer network formed of terminals and a server and allows information about a posted message to be shared among users. The system or a terminal acquires a question message input via the terminal together with positional information associated with the question message and causes the acquired question message to be accessible to the users. The system or terminal acquires an answer message input by a respondent via the terminal as an answer to the question message and causes the acquired answer message to be accessible to the users. The system or terminal acquires positional information of the respondent and restricts the respondent accessing the question message on the basis of question positional information that is the positional information associated with the question message and respondent positional information that is the acquired positional information of the respondent.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Related technical fields include information sharing systems,information sharing methods and terminal devices by which informationabout a message posted on a computer network is shared among users.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, there are provided systems that allow a user to post aquestion message on a computer network via a terminal and similarlyallow a user to post an answer message to the question message on thenetwork. Furthermore, in these systems, in addition to a questioner anda respondent, a third person is also allowed to access the questionmessage and the answer message that are posted on the network. There arevarious questions, and, for example, questions about a trafficcondition, such as traffic congestion and a suspension of service, acrowded situation of a shop and a weather condition, are allowed.

Here, in the above-described systems, it is advantageously possible toquickly acquire the latest information at a remote place; however, thereis a problem that it is difficult to ensure the reliability ofinformation. That is, any user is basically allowed to answer a postedquestion message, so a user who cannot have a correct answer is alsoallowed to post an answer message, and it is difficult for a questioneror a third person to judge whether the answer message is a correctanswer. Then, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2009-211685 (JP 2009-211685 A) suggests a technique for, at the time ofaccumulating answer messages posted on a network, also acquiring piecesof positional information about mobile terminals that have transmittedthe answer messages and then setting only pieces of answer information,transmitted by the mobile terminals located within a meeting place inwhich a question is asked in advance, for an accumulation target.

RELATED ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2009-211685 (JP 2009-211685 A) (from page 8 to page 11, FIG. 9)

SUMMARY

Here, in the technique of the above-described Patent Document 1, it ispossible to restrict respondents to only users present within apredetermined range. In a situation in which only users present within apredetermined range can have a correct answer, respondents may berestricted to only the users present within the predetermined range asin the case of Patent Document 1; however, users who can have a correctanswer actually fluctuate question by question.

For example, for a question about Location A, users present aroundLocation A can have a correct answer, so it is desirable to restrictrespondents to the users present around Location A. On the other hand,for a question about Location B different from Location A, users presentaround Location B not Location A can have a correct answer, so it isdesirable to restrict respondents to the users present around LocationB. However, in the technique of Patent Document 1, it is not a techniquefor applying restriction on answer messages on the basis of a locationassociated with a question message and a location of each respondent,and answers are just restricted on the basis of a location at which ananswer is made to a question, so there is a problem that it is notpossible to restrict users who are respondents to appropriate users whocan have an answer question by question.

Exemplary embodiments of the broad inventive principles described hereinprovide an information sharing system, an information sharing method anda terminal device that are able to, at the time of accessing an answermessage to a question message posted on a computer network, restrictaccess to only an answer message that is answered by an appropriate userwho can have an answer, and that are able to improve the reliability ofinformation.

According to exemplary embodiments, an information sharing system inwhich, on a computer network formed of terminals of users and a server,information about a posted message posted by a user is shared among theusers, includes: question message information acquisition means foracquiring a question message input via the terminal together withpositional information associated with the question message; questionmessage accessing means for causing the question message acquired by thequestion message information acquisition means to be accessible to theusers on the computer network; answer message information acquisitionmeans for acquiring an answer message input via the terminal as ananswer to the question message; answer message accessing means forcausing the answer message acquired by the answer message informationacquisition means to be accessible to the users on the computer network;respondent positional information acquisition means for acquiringpositional information of a respondent that is the user who inputs theanswer message; and access restriction means for restricting aquestioner that is the user who posted the question message fromaccessing the answer message on the basis of question positionalinformation that is the positional information associated with thequestion message and respondent positional information that is thepositional information of the respondent, acquired by the respondentpositional information acquisition means.

The information sharing system according to embodiments further includesrestriction determination means for determining whether restriction isapplied by the access restriction means on the basis of contents of thequestion message, wherein the access restriction means restricts thequestioner from accessing the answer message when the restrictiondetermination means has determined that restriction is applied by theaccess restriction means.

The information sharing system according to embodiments further includescontent determination means for determining whether the question messageis a question that requires an answer in real time on the basis of thecontents of the question message, wherein the restriction determinationmeans determines that restriction is applied by the access restrictionmeans when the content determination means has determined that thequestion message is a question that requires an answer in real time. Thequestion that requires an answer in real time is a question to which ananswer may change with a lapse of time even with the same question, and,for example, a question, or the like, for specifying the state of anincident (for example, a present weather condition, a present trafficcongestion condition) at the present time point or within a set periodof time from the present time point for an incident that fluctuates withtime corresponds to this question.

The information sharing system according to embodiments further includescorrespondence relationship information acquisition means for acquiringcorrespondence relationship information that associates whether it is aquestion that requires an answer in real time with each of multiple-typefixed messages, wherein the content determination means determineswhether the question message is a question that requires an answer inreal time on the basis of the correspondence relationship informationwhen the question message corresponds to any one of the multiple-typefixed messages.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the contentdetermination means determines whether the question message is aquestion that requires an answer in real time by performing a syntacticanalysis on the question message.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the accessrestriction means sets a range of the respondent who posts the answermessage, to which restriction on access is applied, on the basis of arelationship between the question positional information and therespondent positional information.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the accessrestriction means applies restriction on access to the answer messagethat is posted from the respondent who is located a predetermineddistance or longer apart from a location that is identified by thequestion positional information.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the accessrestriction means applies restriction on access to the answer messagethat is posted from the respondent who is not located at a location thatis identified by the question positional information within a lastpredetermined period of time.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the accessrestriction means sets the range of the respondent who posts the answermessage, to which restriction on access is applied, on the basis of therelationship between the question positional information and therespondent positional information that indicates a location of therespondent at the time point at which the question message was posted orthe time point at which the answer message to the question message isposted.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the answermessage accessing means includes: answer message transmitting means fortransmitting the answer message, acquired by the answer messageinformation acquisition means, from the terminal to the server; answermessage storage means for storing the answer message, transmitted by theanswer message transmitting means, in the server; answer messagedistributing means for distributing the answer message, stored in theserver by the answer message storage means, from the server to theterminal that intends to access the answer message; and answer messageoutputting means for outputting the answer message, distributed by theanswer message distributing means, through the terminal, and the accessrestriction means restricts the questioner from accessing the answermessage by restricting the answer message transmitting means fromtransmitting the answer message from the terminal to the server.

In the information sharing system according to the present invention,the question message information acquisition means acquires informationthat identifies a location on a map, specified by the questioner, as thequestion positional information.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the questionmessage accessing means displays a map image on the terminal anddisplays a selection target at the location that is identified by thequestion positional information, associated with the question messageacquired by the question message information acquisition means, on themap image displayed on the terminal, and, when the selection target hasbeen selected by the user, the question message accessing means outputsthe question message, acquired by the question message informationacquisition means, from the terminal.

In the information sharing system according to embodiments, the answermessage accessing means outputs the answer message together with thequestion message when the selection target displayed at the locationthat is identified by the question positional information, associatedwith the question message to which the answer message is made, has beenselected by the user.

According to embodiments, an information sharing method in which, on acomputer network formed of terminals of users and a server, informationabout a posted message posted by a user is shared among the users,includes: question message information acquisition step of acquiring aquestion message input via the terminal together with positionalinformation associated with the question message; question messageaccessing step of causing the question message acquired in the questionmessage information acquisition step to be accessible to the users onthe computer network; answer message information acquisition step ofacquiring an answer message input via the terminal as an answer to thequestion message; answer message accessing step of causing the answermessage acquired in the answer message information acquisition step tobe accessible to the users on the computer network; respondentpositional information acquisition step of acquiring positionalinformation of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answermessage; and access restriction step of restricting a questioner that isthe user who posted the question message from accessing the answermessage on the basis of question positional information that is thepositional information associated with the question message andrespondent positional information that is the positional information ofthe respondent, acquired in the respondent positional informationacquisition step.

Furthermore, according to embodiments, a terminal device that constructsan information sharing system in which, on a computer network that isformed the terminal device and a server connected to the terminal deviceso as to be bidirectionally communicable, information about a postedmessage posted by a user is shared among a plurality of users, includes:question message information acquisition means for acquiring a questionmessage input via an operating unit together with positional informationassociated with the question message; question message accessing meansfor causing the question message acquired by the question messageinformation acquisition means to be accessible to the users on thecomputer network; answer message information acquisition means foracquiring an answer message input via the operating unit as an answer tothe question message; answer message accessing means for causing theanswer message acquired by the answer message information acquisitionmeans to be accessible to the users on the computer network; respondentpositional information acquisition means for acquiring positionalinformation of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answermessage; and access restriction means for restricting a questioner thatis the user who posted the question message from accessing the answermessage on the basis of question positional information that is thepositional information associated with the question message andrespondent positional information that is the positional information ofthe respondent, acquired by the respondent positional informationacquisition means.

With the information sharing system having the above configuration, thequestioner who posted the question message is restricted from accessingthe answer message on the basis of the positional information associatedwith the question message and the positional information of therespondent, so, at the time when the questioner accesses the answermessage to the question message posted on the computer network, it ispossible to restrict access to only an answer message answered by anappropriate respondent who can have an answer. As a result, it ispossible to improve the reliability of information that is posted fromthe user.

With the information sharing system, it is determined whetherrestriction on access to the answer message is applied to the questioneron the basis of the contents of the question message, so it is possibleto appropriately restrict access to only a reasonable answer message towhich restriction on access should be applied. As a result, it ispossible to collect information from wider-target users while improvingthe reliability of information.

With the information sharing system, particularly, when the questionmessage is a question that requires an answer in real time, thequestioner is restricted from accessing the answer message, so it ispossible to appropriately apply restriction on access such that only ananswer in real time is obtained for a question that requires an answerin real time.

With the information sharing system, when the question messagecorresponds to the fixed message, it is determined whether the questionmessage is a question that requires an answer in real time on the basisof the type of the fixed message, so it is possible to accuratelydetermine, from the sentence of the question message, whether thequestion message is a question that requires an answer in real time.

With the information sharing system, it is determined whether thequestion message is a question that requires an answer in real time byperforming a syntactic analysis on the question message, so it ispossible to accurately determine, from the sentence of the questionmessage, whether the question message is a question that requires ananswer in real time.

With the information sharing system, the range of a respondent who poststhe answer message, to which restriction on access is applied, is set onthe basis of the relationship between the positional informationassociated with the question message and the positional information ofthe respondent, so it is possible to restrict access to only an answermessage that is posted from an appropriate respondent who is present ata location at which the respondent can have an answer.

With the information sharing system, restriction on access is applied tothe answer message that is posted from the respondent who is located atthe predetermined distance or longer apart from the location that isidentified by the positional information associated with the questionmessage, so it is possible to restrict access to only an answer messagethat is posted from an appropriate respondent by applying restriction onaccess to an answer message that is posted from a respondent present ata location at which the respondent cannot have an answer.

With the information sharing system, restriction on access is applied tothe answer message that is posted from the respondent who is not locatedat the location that is identified by the positional informationassociated with the question message within the last predeterminedperiod of time, so it is possible to restrict access to only an answermessage that is posted from an appropriate respondent by applyingrestriction on access to an answer message that is posted from arespondent who is present at a location at which the respondent cannothave an answer.

With the information sharing system, the range of the respondent whoposts the answer message, to which restriction on access is applied, isset on the basis of the relationship between the positional informationassociated with the question message and the positional information thatindicates the location of the respondent at the time point at which thequestion message was posted or the time point at which the answermessage to the question message is posted, so it is possible to restrictaccess to only an answer message that is posted from an appropriaterespondent present at a location at which the respondent can have ananswer.

With the information sharing system, the questioner is restricted fromaccessing the answer message by restricting transmission of the answermessage from the terminal to the server after the answer message isinput to the terminal, so, at the time when a respondent is caused toanswer the question message posted on the computer network, it ispossible to cause only the terminal of an appropriate respondent who canhave an answer to transmit an answer message to the server. As a result,it is possible to improve the reliability of information that is postedfrom the user.

With the information sharing system, information that identifies thelocation on the map specified by the questioner is acquired as thequestion positional information, so it is possible to appropriately setthe range of a respondent who can have an answer to the question messageon the basis of the location on the map, specified by the questioner.

With the information sharing system, when the selection target displayedat the location that is identified by the question positionalinformation associated with the question message is selected by theuser, the question message is output from the terminal, so it ispossible to output from the terminal a location on the map and aquestion message relating the location in association with each other.Thus, the user is able to easily select a question message, intended tobe accessed, on the map and output the question message.

With the information sharing system, when the selection target displayedat the location that is identified by the question positionalinformation associated with the question message is selected by theuser, the answer message to the question message is output from theterminal together with the question message, so it is possible to outputfrom the terminal a question message and an answer message inassociation with each other.

With the information sharing method, the questioner who posted thequestion message is restricted from accessing the answer message on thebasis of the positional information associated with the question messageand the positional information of the respondent, so, at the time when aquestioner accesses an answer message to a question message posted onthe computer network, it is possible to restrict access to only ananswer message answered by an appropriate respondent who can have ananswer. As a result, it is possible to improve the reliability ofinformation that is posted from the user.

Furthermore, with the terminal device, the questioner who posted thequestion message is restricted from accessing the answer message on thebasis of the positional information associated with the question messageand the positional information of the respondent, so, at the time when aquestioner accesses an answer message to a question message posted onthe computer network, it is possible to restrict access to only ananswer message answered by an appropriate respondent who can have ananswer. As a result, it is possible to improve the reliability ofinformation that is posted from the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view that shows an informationsharing system according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that shows the configuration of theinformation sharing system according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view that shows an example of posted message informationthat is stored in a posted message information DB of a posted messagemanagement center.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram that schematically shows a control system of acommunication terminal according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a question message posting process programaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post a questionmessage.

FIG. 7 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post the questionmessage.

FIG. 8 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post the questionmessage.

FIG. 9 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post the questionmessage.

FIG. 10 is a view that illustrates user's operation to access thequestion message.

FIG. 11 is a view that illustrates user's operation to access thequestion message.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of an answer message posting process programaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post an answermessage.

FIG. 14 is a view that shows a display screen that is displayed on adisplay in the case where input of the answer message is restricted.

FIG. 15 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post the answermessage.

FIG. 16 is a view that illustrates user's operation to post the answermessage.

FIG. 17 is a view that shows an example of the displayed answer messageposted by the user.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of an access restrictiondetermination process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of a real timedetermination process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a view that shows an example of fixed messages that arestored in a fixed message DB.

FIG. 21 is a view that shows an example of analyzation of a questionmessage through syntactic analysis.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of a road determinationprocess according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a view that shows an example of a user of which a postedanswer message is determined to be applied with restriction on accessand a user of which a posted answer message is determined to be notapplied with restriction on access in the road determination process.

FIG. 24 is a view that shows an example of a user of which a postedanswer message is determined to be applied with restriction on accessand a user of which a posted answer message is determined to be notapplied with restriction on access in the road determination process.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of a publictransportation determination process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a view that shows an example of a user of which a postedanswer message is determined to be applied with restriction on accessand a user of which a posted answer message is determined to be notapplied with restriction on access in the public transportationdetermination process.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of a facilitydetermination process according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a view that shows an example of a user of which a postedanswer message is determined to be applied with restriction on accessand a user of which a posted answer message is determined to be notapplied with restriction on access in the facility determinationprocess.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart of a sub-process program of a range determinationprocess according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a view that shows an example of a user of which a postedanswer message is determined to be applied with restriction on accessand a user of which a posted answer message is determined to be notapplied with restriction on access in the range determination process.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart of an answer message posting process programaccording to a second embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a view that shows a display screen that is displayed on adisplay in the case where transmission of an answer message isrestricted.

EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an information sharing system will be described in detailon the basis of a first embodiment and a second embodiment withreference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

First, the schematic configuration of an information sharing system 1according to the first embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view that showsthe information sharing system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG.2 is a block diagram that shows the configuration of the informationsharing system 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information sharing system 1 according to thefirst embodiment is basically formed of a posted message searchingserver 3 of a posted message management center 2, a posted messageinformation management server 4 of the same posted message managementcenter 2, and communication terminals 6 respectively owned by users 5.Each communication terminal 6 may be a navigation system that serves asan in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, a cellular phone, a PDA, asmartphone, or the like. In addition, each user 5 may be moving bymoving means other than a vehicle (for example, electric train, bicycle,foot, or the like) or may be in a non-moving state. In addition, theposted message management center 2 and each communication terminal 6 areconfigured to be able to exchange electronic data with each other via acommunication network 7.

Here, the posted message searching server 3 is a server device that,when the user of the communication terminal 6 has issued a request toaccess a posted message posted on a computer network, extracts theposted message corresponding to the access request from among postedmessages stored in the posted message management center 2 (morespecifically, question messages, and, answer messages to the questionmessages) and then allows the user to access the contents of the postedmessage by distributing the posted message to the communication terminal6. In addition, particularly, at the time of distributing a questionmessage, the posted message searching server 3 assigns positionalinformation associated with the extracted question message, anddistributes the question message together with the assigned positionedinformation. The details of the posted message searching server 3 willbe described later.

On the other hand, the posted message information management server 4 isa server device that manages blog, social network service (SNS), Twitter(registered trademark), chat, and the like (hereinafter, referred to asSNS, etc.) and that keeps and provides posted messages posted on thecomputer network in the SNS, etc. It is also possible for the user topost a message from a PC or another communication device, which isconnectable to the computer network, other than the communicationterminal 6. In the first embodiment, each posted message posted on thecomputer network is formed of a question message and an answer messageto the question message.

Then, the posted message information management server 4 has a postedmessage information DB 8 as a storage medium, and a message posted onthe computer network is sequentially stored in the posted messageinformation DB 8 via the posted message management center 2. Inaddition, the posted message information DB 8 stores, together with thesentence of a posted message, posted time at which the posted messagewas posted, a contributor's ID, the type of posted message (a questionmessage or an answer message), in the case where the posted message is aquestion message, a location (hereinafter, referred to as questionlocation) on a map, arbitrarily specified by a user, or a questioner,and the like. Positional information of the location (question location)on the map, arbitrarily specified by the user, or the questioner, isdefined as positional information associated with the question message(hereinafter, referred to as question positional information). Here,FIG. 3 shows an example of posted messages that are collected andprovided by the posted message information management server 4. As shownin FIG. 3, each posted message includes posted time, the type of postedmessage, a question location, a user ID, the sentence of the postedmessage, and the like. In addition, an answer message and a questionmessage, to which the answer message is made, are stored in associationwith each other. In the posted message information management server 4,pieces of information about posted messages posted from nationwide usersare cumulatively stored in the posted message information DB 8, and,when the amount of data stored becomes larger than or equal to apredetermined amount, pieces of information about past posted messagesare sequentially deleted. In addition, the posted message informationmanagement server 4 may be installed in a center different from theposted message management center 2.

On the other hand, each communication terminal 6 is an informationcommunication terminal that has the function of identifying a currentlocation of the communication terminal 6, such as a GPS, (that is, acurrent location of the user 5) and the function of showing a map imagearound the current location of the user 5. For example, a navigationsystem, a cellular phone, a PDA, a smartphone, or the like, applies toeach communication terminal 6.

In addition, each communication terminal 6 is connected to thecommunication network 7 via a transmission and reception circuit portion(RF) 33 (described later), and is configured so as to be bidirectionallycommunicable with the posted message management center 2. Then, wheninformation about a posted message (including a question message or ananswer message) has been received from the posted message managementcenter 2, the communication terminal 6 shows the sentence of the postedmessage received (described later) on the display of the communicationterminal 6, and allows the user to access the contents of the postedmessage (see FIG. 11). However, particularly, restriction on access toan answer message is applied under a specific condition as will bedescribed later. The details of each communication terminal 6 will bedescribed later.

The communication network 7 includes a large number of base stationsrespectively arranged at nationwide locations and a communicationcompany that manages and controls the base stations, and is formed byconnecting the base stations and the communication company to each otherby wired (optical fibers, ISDN, or the like) or wireless connection.Here, each base station includes a transceiver (transmitter-receiver)and an antenna that communicate with each communication terminal 6.Then, each base station wirelessly communicates with the communicationcompany, while each base station serves as a terminal of thecommunication network 7 and functions to relay communication of eachcommunication terminal 6 within a range (cell) in which radio waves ofthe base station reach to the posted message management center 2.

Subsequently, the configuration of the posted message searching server.3 that constitutes the information sharing system 1 will be described inmore details with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the postedmessage searching server 3 is basically formed of an informationmanagement ECU 11, a map information. DB 12 that serves as informationrecording means connected to the information management ECU 11, and acenter communication device 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the information management ECU 11 is an electroniccontrol unit that executes various controls in the posted messagesearching server 3. The information management ECU 11 includes a CPU 21that serves as a processing unit and a control unit, and an internalstorage unit, such as a RAM 22 that is used as a working memory at thetime when the CPU 21 executes various arithmetic processings and a ROM23 that stores not only various control programs but also a questionmessage posting process program (FIG. 5) (described later), an answermessage posting process program (FIG. 12) (described later), and thelike. The information management ECU 11 constitutes various means asprocessing algorithms together with the ECU of each communicationterminal 6. For example, question message information acquisition meansacquires a question message input via a terminal, such as thecommunication terminal 6, together with positional informationassociated with the question message. Question message releasing meansallows the user to access the acquired question message on the computernetwork. Answer message information acquisition means acquires an answermessage input via the terminal as an answer to the question message.Answer message releasing means allows the user to access the acquiredanswer message on the computer network. Respondent positionalinformation acquisition means acquires positional information of arespondent that is the user who inputs an answer message. Accessrestriction means restricts a questioner that is the user who posted thequestion message from accessing the answer message on the basis ofquestion positional information that is the positional informationassociated with the question message and respondent positionalinformation that is the positional information of the respondent,acquired by the respondent positional information acquisition means.Restriction determination means determines whether restriction on accessis applied by the access restriction means on the basis of the contentsof the question message. Content determination means determines whetheran answer target question message is a question that requires an answerin real time on the basis of the contents of the question message.Correspondence relationship information acquisition means acquirescorrespondence relationship information that associates whether it is aquestion that requires an answer in real time with each of multiple-typefixed messages.

The map information DB 12 is storage means in which map information isstored. Here, the map information stored in the map information DB 12includes various pieces of information required for route search and mapdisplay, including a road network, and is, for example, formed of linkdata about roads (links), node data about nodes, route data about routesof public transportation, such as trains and buses, facility data aboutfacilities, intersection data about intersections, search data forsearching for a route, retrieval data for retrieving a location, mapdisplay data for displaying a map, and the like. The map information DB12 is periodically updated to new map information.

The center communication device 13 is a communication device forcommunicating with each communication terminal 6 via the communicationnetwork 7. In the first embodiment, a request to access a posted messageand information about a posted message are exchanged with the postedmessage searching server 3 or the communication terminal 6 via thecenter communication device 13.

Next, the schematic configuration of each communication terminal 6 ownedby the user 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is ablock diagram that schematically shows a control system of thecommunication terminal 6 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, the communication terminal 6 is formed by connectinga CPU 31, a memory 32 that stores user information (user ID, name, andthe like) about the user 5 who owns the communication terminal 6, mapinformation, and the like, the transmission and reception circuitportion (RF) 33 that exchanges signals with the base stations of thecommunication network 7, a base band processing unit 34 that converts aradio frequency (RF) signal received by the transmission and receptioncircuit portion 33 to a base band signal and that converts a base bandsignal to an RF signal, an input/output unit 37 that is an interfaceconnected to a microphone 35, a speaker 36, and the like, a display 38formed of a liquid crystal display panel, or the like, an inputoperation unit 39 formed of a touch panel, a keyboard, or the like, anda GPS 40 to a data bus BUS.

Here, the CPU 31 incorporated in the communication terminal 6 is controlmeans of the communication terminal 6, which executes various operationsin accordance with operation programs stored in the memory 32, andconstitutes a communication terminal ECU 41 together with the memory 32.Various processing details of the communication terminal ECU 41 aredisplayed on the display 38 where necessary.

The memory 32 is a storage medium that stores, in addition to the userinformation (user ID, name, and the like) about the user 5 who owns thecommunication terminal 6 and map information, an application program,such as an installed navigation application, a fixed message DB, ahistory of the current location of the user 5, the question messageposting process program (FIG. 5) (described later), the answer messageposting process program (FIG. 12) (described later), and the like.

Here, the map information stored in the memory 32 is, for example,formed of link data about roads (links), node data about nodes, routedata about routes of public transportation, such as trains and buses,facility data about facilities, map display data for displaying a map,intersection data about intersections, search data for searching for aroute, retrieval data for retrieving a location, and the like. The mapinformation may be not stored in the memory 32 but may be acquired fromthe server through communication. In addition, the memory 32 may beformed of a hard disk, a memory card or an optical disk, such as a CDand a DVD.

The fixed message DB that is stored in the memory 32 is a DB in whichmultiple-type fixed messages having a high usage frequency as questionmessages and answer messages are recorded. In addition, among fixedmessages that are stored in the fixed message DB, particularly, thefixed messages that are used as question messages are associated withinformation for identifying whether it is a question that requires ananswer in real time (see FIG. 20). Then, the communication terminal ECU41 determines whether a question message input to the communicationterminal 6 using the fixed message DB as will be described later is aquestion that requires an answer in real time. In addition, at the timewhen the user inputs a question message or an answer message through thecommunication terminal 6, among the fixed messages stored in the fixedmessage DB, adequate fixed messages are displayed as input candidates(see FIG. 7 and FIG. 15).

The display 38 is arranged on one face of a casing, and a liquid crystaldisplay, an organic EL display, or the like, is used as the display 38.Then, a top screen for executing various applications that are installedin the communication terminal 6, screens (an internet screen, a mailscreen, a navigation screen, and the like) regarding executedapplications, and various pieces of information, such as images andmoving images, are displayed. Particularly, in the navigation screenthat is displayed in the case where a navigation application isexecuted, a map image that includes roads, traffic information, a guideroute from a departure place to a destination, guide information alongthe guide route, and the like, are also displayed. Furthermore, in thefirst embodiment, information about a posted message received from theposted message management center 2 (the sentence of the posted message,contributor's ID, a question location, and the like) are also shown.

The input operation unit 39 is formed of a touch panel provided on thefront face of the display 38. Then, the communication terminal ECU 41executes control to carry out various corresponding operations on thebasis of an electric signal that is output through, for example,depression of the touch panel. Particularly, in the first embodiment,the input operation unit 39 is used, for example, at the time of postinga message, such as a question message and an answer message, at the timewhen a posted message that has been already posted on the computernetwork is accessed, or the like. The input operation unit 39 may beformed of various keys, and the like, such as number/character inputkeys, cursor keys that move a cursor for selecting displayed contentsand a select key for fixing a selection.

The GPS 40 is able to detect the current location and current time ofthe communication terminal 6 (that is, the user 5) by receiving radiowaves emitted from artificial satellites. In addition, another device(for example, a gyro sensor, or the like) for detecting the currentlocation and direction of the communication terminal 6 may be includedin addition to the GPS 40.

The transmission and reception circuit portion 33 is configured to becommunicable with a traffic information center, for example, a VICS(registered trademark) center, a probe center, or the like, via thecommunication network 7 other than the posted message management center2. Then, it is possible to acquire traffic information, such as trafficcongestion information, regulatory information and traffic accidentinformation, via the VICS center or the probe center.

Subsequently, the question message posting process program that isexecuted in the communication terminal 6 and the posted messagemanagement center 2 that constitute the above-configured informationsharing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is aflowchart of the question message posting process program according tothe first embodiment. Here, the question message posting process programis executed after the power of the communication terminal 6 is turned on(particularly, when the communication terminal 6 is an in-vehicledevice, ACC of the host vehicle is turned on), and is a program that, atthe time when the user has posted particularly a question message as aposted message on the computer network, manages and stores the postedquestion message. The following programs shown by flowcharts in FIG. 5,FIG. 12, FIG. 18, FIG. 19, FIG. 22, FIG. 25, FIG. 27 and FIG. 29 arestored in the RAM, the ROM, or the like, included in the posted messagemanagement center 2 or the communication terminal 6, and are executed bythe CPU 21 or the CPU 31. The question message posting process programmay be executed after the question message posting process program or anapplication that includes the question message posting process programis started up in the case where question message posting process programis started up from a mobile terminal (for example, a smartphone, acellular phone or a tablet terminal).

First, the question message posting process program that is executed inthe communication terminal 6 will be described. In step (hereinafter,abbreviated as “S”) 1, the CPU 31 determines whether operation to post aquestion message has been made on the basis of operation of a user (userwho owns the terminal and is a questioner who posts a question message,and the same applies to the following description), which is accepted bythe input operation unit 39.

Here, FIG. 6 to FIG. 9 are views that illustrate user's operation topost a question message in the communication terminal 6. As shown inFIG. 6, the user initially selects an arbitrary location on a map image61 displayed on the display 38 as a question location X. The questionlocation X selected by the user is a location that is a question targetof the question message to be posted, and, as will be described later,basically, the question message to be posted is a question about thequestion location X (for example, the traffic congestion, weathercondition, and the like; at the question location X). In addition,information about the question location X is associated with thequestion message and is transmitted to the posted message managementcenter 2 as will be described later, and is stored in the posted messageinformation DB 8 together with the question message (see FIG. 3).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, the user selects the sentence for thequestion message from among a plurality of fixed messages displayed onthe display 38. The sentence of the question message may be an arbitrarysentence input by the user as shown in FIG. 8 instead of being selectedfrom among fixed messages. In addition, the sentences of fixed messagesto be displayed may be changed on the basis of the question location.For example, when a location on a road is selected as the questionlocation, questions about traffic congestion and an accident aredisplayed as fixed messages; when a location on a railway is selected asthe question location, questions about a service condition of anelectric train are displayed as fixed messages; and when a location on afacility is selected as the question location, questions about a crowdedcondition and operating condition of the facility are displayed as fixedmessages. Fixed messages to be displayed are stored in the fixed messageDB of the memory 32 in advance.

When a question message is input, the input question message istransmitted to the posted message management center 2 together with aquestion location as will be described later. After that, as shown inFIG. 9, a question icon 62 that indicates that there is the postedquestion message is newly displayed at the question location X of theposted question message.

After that, as shown in FIG. 10, when the user selects the question icon62 on the map image 61 displayed on the display 38, the question messageassociated with the question location X at which the question icon 62 isdisplayed is newly displayed on a window 63 as shown in FIG. 11.Furthermore, when there are already answers to the question messageassociated with the question location X, the answer messages that havebeen answered till present time are also displayed together. As aresult, the user is able to access the question message posted as aquestion about the location by himself or another user and the answermessages to the question message by selecting the question icon 62displayed on the map image 61. In addition, by selecting an answerbutton 64 displayed on the window 63, it is possible to post an answermessage as an answer to the displayed question message. However,particularly, restriction on access to an answer message is appliedunder a specific condition as will be described later.

As a result of determination of S1, when it is determined that operationto post a question message has been made by the input operation unit 39(YES in S1), the process proceeds to S2. In contrast to this, whenoperation to post a question message has not been made by the inputoperation unit 39 (NO in S1), the question message posting processprogram is ended.

In S2, the CPU 31 acquires positional information associated with thequestion message (question positional information) as a questionlocation on the basis of user's operation input via the input operationunit 39. The question location is a location that is a question targetof a question message to be posted, and is selected by the user on themap image displayed on the display 38 as described above (see FIG. 6).

In S3, the CPU 31 acquires the sentence of the question message on thebasis of user's operation input via the input operation unit 39. Thesentence of the question message is selected by the user from the fixedmessages displayed on the display 38 as described above, or is anarbitrary sentence input by the user (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 8).

Subsequently, in S4, the CPU 31 transmits the posted time, at which thequestion message was posted, the contributor's ID and the type of postedmessage (that is, the question message) together with the questionlocation acquired in S2 and the sentence of the question message,acquired in S3, to the posted message management center 2 as questionmessage information.

Next, the question message posting process program that is executed inthe posted message management center 2 will be described. Initially, inS11, the CPU 21 receives question message information transmitted fromthe communication terminal 6.

Subsequently, in S12, the CPU 21 stores the question messageinformation, received in S11, in the posted message information DB 8(FIG. 3). The question message information stored in the posted messageinformation DB 8 is configured to be accessible from the communicationterminal 6 from which the access request has been issued.

Subsequently, the answer message posting process program that isexecuted in the communication terminal 6 and the posted messagemanagement center 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. FIG. 12is a flowchart of the answer message posting process program accordingto the first embodiment. Here, the answer message posting processprogram is executed after the power of the communication terminal 6 isturned on (particularly, when the communication terminal 6 is anin-vehicle device, ACC of the host vehicle is turned on), and is aprogram that causes the user 5 who answers the question message toaccess the question message, and that, at the time when the user 5 hasposted an answer message to the accessed question message on thecomputer network, manages and stores the posted answer message. Theanswer message posting process program may be executed after the answermessage posting process program or an application that includes theanswer message posting process program has been started up in the casewhere the answer message posting process program is started up from amobile terminal (for example, a smartphone, a cellular phone or a tabletterminal).

First, the answer message posting process program that is executed inthe communication terminal 6 will be described. In S21, the CPU 31determines whether operation to require access to a question message hasbeen made on the basis of user's operation (the user owns the terminaland is a respondent who posts an answer message, and the same applies tothe following description) accepted by the input operation unit 39.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, when the user has selected thequestion icon 62 (that is, the question location) on the map image 61displayed on the display 38, it is determined that operation to requireaccess to the question message has been made. It may be determined thatoperation to require access to the question message has been made when aretrieval condition for retrieving the question message has been input.The retrieval condition may be a condition that specifies a retrievalword included in the question message (for example, “OX Street”,“Traffic Congestion”, or the like), time at which the question messagewas posted or a question location. For example, when a condition thatthe question location is OO City is input, it is possible to retrieve aquestion message that has a question location within OO City.

Then, as a result of determination in S21, when it is determined thatoperation to require access to the question message has been made by theinput operation unit 39 (YES in S21), the process proceeds to S22. Incontrast to this, when it is determined that operation to require accessto the question message has not been made by the input operation unit 39(NO in S21), the answer message posting process program is ended.

In S22, the CPU 31 transmits a request to access the question messagebased on user's operation to the posted message management center 2.Specifically, when the question icon 62 (see FIG. 10) has been selectedon the map image 61, an access request to require access to the questionmessage corresponding to the selected question icon 62 is transmitted;whereas, when a retrieval condition has been input, an access request torequire access to a question message corresponding to the retrievalcondition is transmitted. The posted message management center 2, uponreception of the access request to a question message, extracts thequestion message corresponding to the access request (for example, whenthe question icon 62 has been selected on the map image 61 as shown inFIG. 10, the question message associated with the selected question icon62) from among posted messages posted on the computer network on thebasis of the received access request (S32) as will be described later.When an answer message has been already posted for the question messagecorresponding to the access request, the answer message is alsoextracted.

Subsequently, in S23, the CPU 31 receives information about the questionmessage transmitted from the posted message management center 2. Theinformation about the question message, received in S23, is informationabout the question message extracted from among the question messagesposted on the computer network on the basis of the access requesttransmitted in S22. In addition, information about a posted messageincludes, in addition to the sentence of the posted message, posted timeat which the posted message was posted, the type of posted message (thatis, the question message), a question location, contributor's ID, andthe like. When information about the answer message has also beentransmitted from the posted message management center 2, the informationabout the answer message is also received.

Subsequently, in S24, the CPU 31 displays the information about thequestion message, received in S23, on the display 38 (see FIG. 11).Specifically, the sentence of the question message, the posted time atwhich the question message was posted and the contributor's ID aredisplayed. In addition, voice that reads the question message may beoutput from the speaker 36. The posted time and the contributor's ID maybe configured not to be displayed. Furthermore, when there has beenalready an answer to the question message received in S23, the answermessage that has been answered till present time is also displayed.

After that, in S25, the CPU 31 determines whether operation that theuser expresses an intention to answer the question message displayed onthe display 38 in S24 has been made on the basis of user's operationaccepted by the input operation unit 39. Specifically, as shown in FIG.13, when the user has selected the answer button 64 displayed togetherwith the question message on the window 63 of the display 38, it isdetermined that operation that the user expresses an intention to answerthe displayed question message has been made.

Then, when it is determined that operation that the user expresses anintention to answer the displayed question message has been made (YES inS25), the process proceeds to S26. In contrast to this, when it isdetermined that operation that the user expresses an intention to answerthe displayed question message has not been made (NO in S25), the answermessage posting process program is ended.

In S26, the CPU 31 executes access restriction determination process(described later) (FIG. 18). Here, the access restriction determinationprocess is a process of determining whether restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by the user to the question message isapplied on the basis of the question location associated with thequestion message acquired in S23, that is, positional information(question positional information) and the question contents, associatedwith the question message, information about the current location of theuser who owns the terminal (that is, the respondent) (hereinafter,referred to as respondent positional information), and the like.

After that, in S27, the CPU 31 determines whether the determinationresult of the access restriction determination process in S26 is theresult that “restriction on access to an answer message to be answeredby the user is applied”.

Then, when the determination result of the access restrictiondetermination process in S26 is the determination result that“restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by the useris applied” (YES in S27), the process proceeds to S28 without displayinga screen for inputting an answer message.

In S28, the CPU 31 informs that an answer message is not allowed to beinput because the user does not satisfy a condition for allowing accessto an answer message to be posted as shown in FIG. 14. Then, the answermessage posting process program is ended without allowing input of ananswer message. As a result, the user who posted the question messageand a third-person user are restricted from accessing the answermessage.

On the other hand, when the determination result of the accessrestriction determination process in S26 is the determination resultthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser is not applied” (NO in S27), the process proceeds to S29.

In S29, the CPU 31 displays an answer message input screen for inputtingan answer message on the display 38. The answer message input screen isa screen for allowing the user to input an answer message.

Here, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are views that illustrate user's operation topost an answer message in the communication terminal 6. When the answerbutton 64 (see FIG. 13) displayed together with the question message hasbeen selected, and when the determination result of the accessrestriction determination process in S26 is the determination resultthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser is not applied”, the answer message input screen 65 shown in FIG.15 is displayed. Here, a plurality of fixed messages that are answercandidates are displayed on the answer message input screen 65. Then,the user inputs an answer message by selecting the sentence to be setfor the answer message from among the plurality of fixed messagesdisplayed on the display 38. Input of an answer message may beconfigured by allowing the user to input an arbitrary sentence as shownin FIG. 16 instead of selecting from among fixed messages. In addition,the sentences of the fixed messages that are displayed on the answermessage input screen 65 are desirably changed in accordance with thecontents of an answer target question message. For example, when ananswer is made to a question message for asking a traffic congestioncondition, answers that indicate the levels of traffic congestion aredisplayed as fixed messages; when an answer is made to a questionmessage for asking the service situation of an electric train, answersthat indicate whether the service of the electric train is smooth aredisplayed as fixed messages; and, when an answer is made to a questionmessage for asking the crowded condition of a facility, answers thatindicate the levels of crowdedness of the facility are displayed asfixed messages. Fixed messages to be displayed are stored in the fixedmessage DB of the memory 32 in advance; instead, the fixed message DBmay be provided in a server and then fixed messages may be acquired fromthe server.

When an answer message has been input through the answer message inputscreen 65, the input answer message is transmitted to the posted messagemanagement center 2 as will be described later. After that, when theuser selects the question icon 62 on the map image 61 displayed on thedisplay 38, a newly answered answer message is displayed together withthe question message as shown in FIG. 17. However, under a specificcondition, restriction on access to the posted answer message may beapplied.

Subsequently, in S30, the CPU 31 acquires the sentence of the answermessage on the basis of user's operation input via the input operationunit 39. The sentence of the answer message is selected by the user fromfixed messages displayed on the display 38 as described above or anarbitrary sentence input by the user (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16).

Subsequently, in S31, the CPU 31 transmits the posted time at which theanswer message was posted, the contributor's ID and the type of postedmessage (that is, the answer message) together with the sentence of theanswer message acquired in S30 to the posted message management center 2as answer message information.

Next, the answer message posting process program that is executed in theposted message management center 2 will be described. Initially, in S32,the CPU 21 receives the request to access the question message,transmitted from the communication terminal 6.

Subsequently, in S33, the CPU 21 executes retrieval process ofretrieving a question message corresponding to the access request fromamong the posted messages posted on the computer network on the basis ofthe access request to the question message, received in S32.Specifically, information about the question message corresponding tothe access request is extracted from the posted message information(FIG. 3) stored in the posted message information DB 8. Informationabout a question message to be extracted also includes information aboutthe question location of the question message.

After that, in S34, the CPU 21 transmits information about the questionmessage extracted in S33 (including the question location) to thecommunication terminal 6 that has issued the request to access thequestion message. As a result, through the communication terminal 6 thathas issued the request to access the question message, the informationabout the question message intended by the user is output (S24).

In S35, the CPU 21 receives the answer message information transmittedfrom the communication terminal 6.

Subsequently, in S36, the CPU 21 stores the answer message information,received in S35, in the posted message information DB 8 (FIG. 3). Theanswer message information stored in the posted message information DB 8is configured to be accessible from the communication terminal 6.However, under a specific condition, restriction on access to the answermessage may be applied.

Next, the sub-process of the access restriction determination processthat is executed in S26 will be described with reference to FIG. 18.FIG. 18 is a flowchart of the sub-process program of the accessrestriction determination process.

Initially, in S41, the CPU 31 acquires information about the currentlocation of the communication terminal 6 (that is, the user 5)(respondent positional information) with the use of the GPS 40, or thelike, mounted on the communication terminal 6. The current location ofthe user 5, which is acquired in S41, is the current location of therespondent who answers the question message (more specifically, thelocation of the respondent at the time point at which an answer messageis posted).

Subsequently, in S42, the CPU 31 acquires the contents of the answertarget question message (question message received from the postedmessage management center 2 in S23; hereinafter, referred to as answertarget question message) and the question location associated with theanswer target question message (question positional information).

Subsequently, in S43, the CPU 31 executes real time determinationprocess (FIG. 19) (described later). The real time determination processis a process of determining whether the answer target question messageis a question that requires an answer in real time on the basis of thecontents of the answer target question message, acquired in S42. Thequestion that requires an answer in real time is a question to which ananswer may change with a lapse of time even with the same question, and,for example, a question, or the like, for specifying the state of anincident (for example, a present weather condition, a present trafficcongestion condition) at the present time or within a set period of timefrom the present time for an incident that fluctuates with time appliesto this question.

After that, in S44, the CPU 31 determines whether the determinationresult of the real time determination process in S43 is the result that“the answer target question message is a question that requires ananswer in real time”.

When the determination result of the real time determination process inS44 is the determination result that “the answer target question messageis a question that requires an answer in real time” (YES in S44), theprocess proceeds to S46. In contrast to this, when the determinationresult of the real time determination process in S44 is thedetermination result that “the answer target question message is not aquestion that requires an answer in real time” (NO in S44), it isrecognized that the user (respondent) can have a correct answer to theanswer target question message, and it is determined that “restrictionon access to an answer message to be answered by the user to the answertarget question message is not applied” (S45). After that, the processproceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is displayedthrough the communication terminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed topost an answer message to the answer target question message.Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and a third-personuser are allowed to access the answer message posted as an answer to thequestion message.

In S46, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer target question messageis a question message for asking information about traffic on the basisof the sentence of the answer target question message acquired in S42.Specifically, when a word relating to traffic is included in thesentence of the answer target question message, it is determined thatthe answer target question message is a question message for askinginformation about traffic. The word relating to traffic is, for example,a word that indicates the route name of a train or bus, a route type,the name of an electric train, the name of a station or stop, a roadname, a road type, the name of a specific facility, such as aninterchange and a service area, or a traffic condition, such as asuspension of service, traffic congestion and closed to traffic, or thelike.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about traffic (YES in S46), theprocess proceeds to S47. In contrast to this, when it is determined thatthe answer target question message is not a question message for askinginformation about traffic (NO in S46), the process proceeds to S52.

In S47, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer target question messageis a question message for asking information about publictransportation, such as an electric train and a bus, on the basis of thesentence of the answer target question message acquired in S42.Specifically, when the sentence of the answer target question messageincludes a word relating to public transportation, it is determined thatthe answer target question message is a question message for askinginformation about public transportation. The word relating to publictransportation is, for example, a word that indicates the route name ofa train or bus, a route type, the name of an electric train, the name ofa station or stop, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about public transportation (YESin S47), the process proceeds to S51. In contrast to this, when it isdetermined that the answer target question message is not a questionmessage for asking information about public transportation (NO in S47),the process proceeds to S48.

In S48, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer target question messageis a question message for asking information about a road on the basisof the answer target question message acquired in S42. Specifically,when a word relating to a road is included in the sentence of the answertarget question message, it is determined that the answer targetquestion message is a question message for asking information about aroad. The word relating to a road is, for example, a word that indicatesa road name, a road type, the name of a specific facility, such as aninterchange and a service area, or a traffic condition relating to aroad, such as traffic congestion and closed to traffic, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a road (YES in S48), theprocess proceeds to S49. In contrast to this, when it is determined thatthe answer target question message is not a question message for askinginformation about a road (NO in S48), it is recognized that the user(respondent) can have a correct answer to the answer target questionmessage, and it is determined that “restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by the user to the answer target question messageis not applied” (S50). After that, the process proceeds to S27. As aresult, the answer input screen is displayed through the communicationterminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed to post an answer message tothe answer target question message. Accordingly, the user who posted thequestion message and a third-person user are allowed to access theanswer message posted as an answer to the question message.

On the other hand, in S49, the CPU 31 executes road determinationprocess (FIG. 22) (described later). The road determination process is aprocess of determining whether restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by the user to the answer target question messageis applied on the basis of the question location and question contentsassociated with the answer target question message for askinginformation about a road, the current location (respondent positionalinformation) of the user (that is, the respondent), and the like.

In S51, the CPU 31 executes public transportation determination process(FIG. 25) (described later). The public transportation determinationprocess is a process of determining whether restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by the user to the answer target questionmessage is applied on the basis of the question location and questioncontents associated with the answer target question message for askinginformation about public transportation, the current location(respondent positional information) of the user (that is, therespondent), and the like.

In S52, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer target question messageis a question message for asking information about a facility on thebasis of the sentence of the answer target question message acquired inS42. Specifically, when a word relating to a facility is included in thesentence of the answer target question message, it is determined thatthe answer target question message is a question message for askinginformation about a facility. The word relating to a facility is, forexample, a word that indicates a facility name, a product name, aservice name, or the activity of the user at the facility, such asshopping, a rest and a meal, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a facility (YES in S52),the process proceeds to S53. In contrast to this, when it is determinedthat the answer target question message is not a question message forasking information about a facility (NO in S52), the process proceeds toS54.

In S53, the CPU 31 executes facility determination process (FIG. 27)(described later). The facility determination process is a process ofdetermining whether restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is applied onthe basis of the question location and question contents associated withthe answer target question message for asking information about afacility, the current location (respondent positional information) ofthe user (that is, the respondent), and the like.

On the other hand, in S54, the CPU 31 determines whether the answertarget question message is a question message for asking informationabout an area around the question location on the basis of the sentenceof the answer target question message acquired in S42. Specifically,when a word that limits an answer target area is included in thesentence of the answer target question message, it is determined thatthe answer target question message is a question message for askinginformation about an area around the question location. The word thatlimits an answer target area is, for example, a word that indicates aweather condition (shiny, cloud, rainy), a geographical name or an eventname, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about an area around thequestion location (YES in S54), the process proceeds to S55. In contrastto this, when it is determined that the answer target question messageis not a question message for asking information about an area aroundthe question location (NO in S54), it is recognized that the user(respondent) can have a correct answer to the answer target questionmessage, and it is determined that “restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by the user to the answer target question messageis not applied” (S45). After that, the process proceeds to S27. As aresult, the answer input screen is displayed through the communicationterminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed to post an answer message tothe answer target question message. Accordingly, the user who posted thequestion message and a third-person user are allowed to access theanswer message posted as an answer to the question message.

In S55, the CPU 31 executes range determination process (FIG. 29)(described later). The range determination process is a process ofdetermining whether restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is applied onthe basis of the question location and question contents associated withthe answer target question message for asking information about an areaaround the question location, the current location (respondentpositional information) of the user (that is, the respondent), and thelike.

Next, the sub-process of the real time determination process that isexecuted in S43 will be described with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 isa flowchart of the sub-process program of the real time determinationprocess.

Initially, in S61 the CPU 31 acquires the sentence of the answer targetquestion message to be answered.

Subsequently, in S62, the CPU 31 reads out the fixed message DB storedin the memory 32. Here, the fixed message DB is the DB in which themultiple-type fixed messages having a high usage frequency as questionmessages and answer messages are recorded. FIG. 20 is a view that showsan example of the fixed message DB. As shown in FIG. 20, multiple-typefixed messages are recorded in the fixed message DB for each of thequestion message and the answer message. Furthermore, each fixed messagethat is used as a question message is associated with information foridentifying whether it is a question that requires an answer in realtime. For example, the question message “How about traffic congestioncondition?” is associated with information that a question that requiresan answer in real time; whereas the question message “Does this shopserve delicious food?” is associated with information that a questionthat does not require an answer in real time.

Subsequently, in S63, the CPU 31 determines whether the sentence of theanswer target question message acquired in S1 corresponds to any one ofthe fixed messages stored in the fixed message DB. Even when both thesentences do not completely coincide with each other, it is desirable todetermine that the sentence corresponds to the fixed message when theycoincide with each other at a predetermined percentage or higher.

When it is determined that the sentence of the answer target questionmessage acquired in S1 corresponds to any one of the fixed messagesstored in the fixed message DB (YES in S63), the process proceeds toS64. In contrast to this, when it is determined that the sentence of theanswer target question message acquired in S1 does not correspond to anyone of the fixed messages stored in the fixed message DB (NO in S63),the process proceeds to S67.

In S64, the CPU 31 determines whether the corresponding fixed messagedetermined in S63 is a question that requires an answer in real time onthe basis of the fixed message DB (FIG. 20) read out in S62. Asdescribed above, in the fixed message DB, each fixed message that isused as a question message is associated with information foridentifying whether it is a question that requires an answer in realtime (correspondence relationship information), and, in S64,determination is made on the basis of the correspondence relationshipinformation.

When it is determined that the determined corresponding fixed message isa question that requires an answer in real time (YES in S64), it isdetermined that “the answer target question message is a question thatrequires an answer in real time” (S65). After that, the process proceedsto S44. From S44, the process is executed on the basis of thedetermination result of S65.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the determinedcorresponding fixed message is a question that does not require ananswer in real time (NO in S64), it is determined that “the answertarget question message is a question that does not require an answer inreal time” (S66). After that, the process proceeds to S44. From S44, theprocess is executed on the basis of the determination result of S66.

On the other hand, from S67, the CPU 31 determines whether the answertarget question message is a question that requires an answer in realtime by performing a syntactic analysis on the answer target questionmessage. Initially, in S67, the CPU 31 performs a morphological analysison the answer target question message. Specifically, the sentence thatconstitutes the answer target question message is divided into word(morpheme) units, and the word class of each word unit is determined.

In S68, the CPU 31 particularly determines whether any one of wordsdetermined to be a noun corresponds to a word that indicates to requirean answer in real time on the basis of the result of the morphologicalanalysis in S67. The word that indicates to require an answer in realtime is, for example, a word that indicates an incident that fluctuateswith time, such as rainy, shiny, traffic congestion and crowdedness.Such words that indicate to require an answer in real time may beconfigured to be determined in advance and held as a DB, may bedetermined at the server side or may be configured to be downloaded fromthe server.

When it is determined that a word that indicates to require an answer inreal time is included (YES in S68), process proceeds to S69. In contrastto this, when it is determined that a word that indicates to require ananswer in real time is not included (NO in S68), it is determined that“the answer target question message is a question that does not requirean answer in real time” (S66). After that, the process proceeds to S44.From S44, the process is executed on the basis of the determinationresult of S66.

On the other hand, in S67, the CPU 31 performs a morphological analysison the answer target question message. Specifically, the sentence thatconstitutes the answer target question message is divided into word(morpheme) units, and the word class of each word unit is determined.

In S69, the CPU 31 performs a semantic analysis on the answer targetquestion message. Specifically, an operator precedence method, atop-down syntactic analysis method, a bottom-up syntactic analysismethod, or the like, is used, and the grammatical relationship of theanswer target question message, such as a present tense, a past tense, afuture tense and a present progressive tense, is determined.

Subsequently, in S70, the CPU 31 determines whether the sentence of theanswer target question message corresponds to a syntax that indicates torequire an answer in real time on the basis of the result of thesemantic analysis in S69. The syntax that indicates to require an answerin real time is, for example, a present-tense syntax, apresent-progressive-tense syntax, or the like.

When it is determined that the sentence of the answer target questionmessage is the syntax that indicates to require an answer in real time(YES in S70), it is determined that “the answer target question messageis a question that requires an answer in real time” (S65). After that,the process proceeds to S44. From S44, the process is executed on thebasis of the determination result of S65.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the sentence of theanswer target question message is not a syntax that indicates to requirean answer in real time (NO in S70), it is determined that “the answertarget question message is a question that does not require an answer inreal time” (S66). After that, the process proceeds to S44. From S44, theprocess is executed on the basis of the determination result of S66.

Hereinafter, the details of the determination process through thesyntactic analysis in S67 to S70 will be described by way of a specificexample. For example, description will be made on an example in whichthe determination process through the syntactic analysis in S67 to S70is executed on four-type question messages of Example sentence 1 toExample sentence 4 shown in FIG. 21. In the case where the questionmessage “Is it rainy?” shown in Example sentence 1 is an answer targetquestion message, as a result of the morphological analysis in S67, itis determined that the word “rainy” that indicates the state of aweather condition, included in the sentence, is a word that indicates anincident that fluctuates with time and is a word that indicates torequire an answer in real time. Furthermore, as a result of the semanticanalysis in S69, it is determined that the sentence has a present tenseand has a syntax that indicates to require an answer in real time. Thus,the question message shown in Example sentence 1 is finally determinedto be “a question that requires an answer in real time” (S65). In thecase where the question message “Was it rainy yesterday?” shown inExample sentence 2 is an answer target question message, as a result ofthe morphological analysis in S67, it is determined that the word“rainy” that indicates the state of a weather condition, included in thesentence, is a word that indicates an incident that fluctuates with timeand is a word that indicates to require an answer in real time. However,as a result of the semantic analysis in S69, it is determined that thesentence has a past tense and does not have a syntax that indicates torequire an answer in real time. Thus, the question message shown inExample sentence 2 is finally determined to be “not a question thatrequires to answer in real time” (S66). In the case where the questionmessage “Is this shop crowded?” shown in Example sentence 3 is an answertarget question message, as a result of the morphological analysis inS67, it is determined that the word “crowded” that indicates the degreeof crowdedness, included in the sentence, is a word that indicates anincident that fluctuates with time and is a word that indicates torequire an answer in real time. Furthermore, as a result of the semanticanalysis in S69, it is determined that the sentence has a present tenseand has a syntax that indicates to require an answer in real time. Thus,the question message shown in Example sentence 3 is finally determinedto be “a question that requires an answer in real time” (S65). In thecase where the question message “Does this shop serve delicious food?”shown in Example sentence 4 is an answer target question message, as aresult of the morphological analysis in S67, it is determined that aword that indicates to require an answer in real time is not included inthe sentence. Thus, the question message shown in Example sentence 4 isfinally determined to be “not a question that requires to answer in realtime” (S66).

Next, the sub-process of the road determination process that is executedin S49 will be described with reference to FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is aflowchart of the sub-process program of the road determination process.

Initially, in S81, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer targetquestion message is a question message for particularly askinginformation about traffic congestion or regulatory on the basis of thesentence of the answer target question message acquired in S42.Specifically, when a word relating to traffic congestion or regulatoryis included in the sentence of the answer target question message, it isdetermined that the answer target question message is a question messagefor asking information about traffic congestion or regulatory. The wordrelating to traffic congestion or regulatory is, for example, a word,such as traffic congestion, crowded, available, closed to traffic,accident, construction, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about traffic congestion orregulatory (YES in S81), the process proceeds to S82. In contrast tothis, when it is determined that the answer target question message isnot a question message for asking information about traffic congestionor regulatory (NO in S81), the process proceeds to S87.

In S82, the CPU 31 identifies the section of a road, which is a questiontarget, (hereinafter, referred to as question target section) on thebasis of the question location associated with the answer targetquestion message and the map information. Specifically, a road link thatincludes the question location is identified as the question targetsection. When the question location is not present on any link, a roadlink closest to the question location is identified as the questiontarget section. The map information may be acquired from the memory 32in the communication terminal 6 or may be acquired from an externalserver through communication. The question target section may beidentified by not a link but a route number (for example, PrefecturalHighway OO) or a section at a predetermined distance from the questionlocation (for example, a section within the range of 10 km behind to 10km ahead).

Subsequently, in S83, the CPU 31 determines whether the current locationof the user is located within the question target section on the basisof the current location of the user (respondent) who answers the answertarget question message, acquired in S41, and the question targetsection identified in S82.

When it is determined that the current location of the user is locatedwithin the question target section (YES in S83), the process proceeds toS84. In contrast to this, when the current location of the user is notlocated within the question target section (NO in S83), the processproceeds to S85.

In S84, because the user is located within the same link (that is, thelink that is a question target about traffic congestion or regulatory)of the question location, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user can have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, and determinesthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser to the answer target question message is not applied”. After that,the process proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen isdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 in S29, and the user isallowed to post an answer message to the answer target question message.Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and a third-personuser are allowed to access the answer message posted as an answer to thequestion message.

In S85, the CPU 31 determines whether it has been a predetermined periodof time (for example, ten minutes) or shorter after the user passed thequestion target section (or within a predetermined distance (forexample, within 3 km) from the question target section) on the basis ofthe history of the current location of the user who answers the answertarget question message and the question target section identified inS82. The predetermined period of time is a threshold stored in thememory, or the like, and is set in consideration of user's memory, orthe like.

When it is determined that it has been the predetermined period of timeor shorter after the user passed the question target section (YES inS85), that is, when it is determined that the user was located in thequestion target section within the last predetermined period of time,the process proceeds to S84. Then, because the user was located untilrecently within the same link (that is, the link that is a questiontarget about traffic congestion or regulatory) of the question location,it is recognized that the user can have a correct answer to the answertarget question message, and it is determined that “restriction onaccess to an answer message to be answered by the user to the answertarget question message is not applied”.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the user has not passedthe question target section or it has been the predetermined period oftime or longer after the user passed the question target section (NO inS85), that is, when it is determined that that user was not located inthe question target section within the last predetermined period oftime, the process proceeds to S86.

In S86, because the user is not present in the same link (that is, thelink that is a question target about traffic congestion or regulatory)of the question location and there is no history that the user waspresent until recently, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user cannot havea correct answer to the answer target question message, and determinesthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser to the answer target question message is applied”. After that, theprocess proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is notdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 (S28), and the user isnot allowed to post an answer message to the answer target questionmessage. Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and athird-party user are not allowed to access an answer message that isposted as an answer to the question message.

Hereinafter, the determination process in S83 to S86 will be describedby way of a specific example. In FIG. 23, description will be made onthe case where there are Users A to C as respondents and the answertarget question message is a question message for asking a trafficcongestion condition of a road on which a question location X isspecified. In the example shown in FIG. 23, User A present in the samelink 74 as the question location X can have a correct answer (that is, atraffic congestion condition of the link 74) of the answer targetquestion message, so it is determined that “restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by User A to the answer target questionmessage is not applied”. In addition, User B who is not located withinthe same link 74 as the question location X but it has been thepredetermined period of time or shorter after the user passed the link74 also can have a correct answer to the answer target question message,so it is determined that “restriction on access to an answer message tobe answered by User B to the answer target question message is notapplied”. On the other hand, User C who has not reached the same link 74as the question location X cannot have a correct answer to the answertarget question message, so it is determined that “restriction on accessto an answer message to be answered by User C to the answer targetquestion message is applied”.

On the other hand, in S87, the CPU 31 determines whether the answertarget question message is particularly a question message for askinginformation about a road surface or visibility on the basis of thesentence of the answer target question message acquired in S42.Specifically, when a word relating to a road surface or visibility isincluded in the sentence of the answer target question message, it isdetermined that the answer target question message is a question messagefor asking information about a road surface or visibility. The wordrelating to a road surface or visibility is, for example, a word, suchas unevenness, step, gap, visibility, light and fog.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a road surface orvisibility (YES in S87), the process proceeds to S89. In contrast tothis, when it is determined that the answer target question message isnot a question message for asking information about a road surface orvisibility (NO in S87), the process proceeds to S88.

In S88, the CPU 31 executes range determination process (FIG. 29)(described later). The range determination process is a process ofdetermining whether restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is applied onthe basis of the question location and question contents associated withthe answer target question message for asking information about an areaaround the question location, the current location (respondentpositional information) of the user (that is, the respondent), and thelike.

On the other hand, in S89, the CPU 31 determines whether the currentlocation of the user is located at the question location on the basis ofthe current location of the user (respondent) who answers the answertarget question message, acquired in S41, and the question locationassociated with the answer target question message, that is, thepositional information associated with the question message (questionpositional information).

When it is determined that the current location of the user is locatedat the question location (YES in S89), the process proceeds to S90. Incontrast to this, when it is determined that the current location of theuser is not located at the question location (NO in S89), the processproceeds to S91.

In S90, because the user is located within the question location (thatis, the location that is a question target about a road surface orvisibility), the CPU 31 recognizes that the user can have a correctanswer to the answer target question message, and determines that“restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by the userto the answer target question message is not applied”. After that, theprocess proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen isdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 in S29, and the user isallowed to post an answer message to the answer target question message.Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and a third-personuser are allowed to access the answer message posted as an answer to thequestion message.

In S91, the CPU 31 determines whether it has been a predetermined periodof time (for example, ten minutes) or shorter after the user passed thequestion location (or within a predetermined distance (for example,within 3 km) from the question location) on the basis of the history ofthe current location of the user who answers the answer target questionmessage and the question location associated with the answer targetquestion message, that is, the positional information associated withthe question message (question positional information). Thepredetermined period of time is a threshold stored in the memory, or thelike, and is set in consideration of user's memory, or the like.

When it is determined that it has been the predetermined period of timeor shorter after the user passed the question location (YES in S91), theprocess proceeds to S90. Because the user was recently present at thequestion location (that is, the location that is a question target abouta road surface or visibility), it is recognized that the user can have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, and it isdetermined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is notapplied”.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the user has not passedthe question location or it has been the predetermined period of time orlonger after the user passed the question location (NO in S91), that is,when it is determined that that user was not located at the questionlocation within the last predetermined period of time, the processproceeds to S92.

In S92, because the user is not present at the question location (thatis, the location that is a question target about a road surface orvisibility) and there is no history that the user was present untilrecently, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user cannot have a correctanswer to the answer target question message, and determines that“restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by the userto the answer target question message is applied”. After that, theprocess proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is notdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 (S28), and the user isnot allowed to post an answer message to the answer target questionmessage. Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and athird-party user are not allowed to access an answer message that isposted as an answer to the question message.

Hereinafter, the determination process in S89 to S92 will be describedby way of a specific example. In FIG. 24, description will be made onthe case, where there are Users A to C as respondents and the answertarget question message is a question message for asking a visibilitycondition of a road on which a question location Y is specified. In theexample shown in FIG. 24, User A present at the question location Y canhave a correct answer (that is, a visibility condition around thelocation Y) of the answer target question message, so it is determinedthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by UserA to the answer target question message is not applied”. In addition,User B who is not located at the question location Y but it has been thepredetermined period of time or shorter after the user passed thelocation Y also can have a correct answer to the answer target questionmessage, so it is determined that “restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by User B to the answer target question messageis not applied”. On the other hand, User C who has not reached thequestion location Y cannot have a correct answer to the answer targetquestion message, so it is determined that “restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by User C to the answer target questionmessage is applied”.

Next, the sub-process of the public transportation determination processthat is executed in S51 will be described with reference to FIG. 25.FIG. 25 is a flowchart of the sub-process program of the publictransportation determination process.

Initially, in S101, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer targetquestion message is a question message for particularly askinginformation about the service of public transportation on the basis ofthe sentence of the answer target question message acquired in S42.Specifically, when the sentence of the answer target question messageincludes a word relating to the service of public transportation, it isdetermined that the answer target question message is a question messagefor asking information about the service of public transportation. Theword relating to the service of public transportation is, for example, aword that indicates the route name of a train or bus, a route type, thename of an electric train, or the like.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about the service of publictransportation (YES in S101), the process, proceeds to S102. In contrastto this, when it is determined that the answer target question messageis not a question message for asking information about the service ofpublic transportation (NO in S101), the process proceeds to S108.

In S102, the CPU 31 identifies the route of public transportation, whichis a question target, (hereinafter, referred to as question targetroute) on the basis of the question location associated with the answertarget question message, that is, the positional information associatedwith the question message (question positional information) and the mapinformation. Specifically, when the question location is located on aroute, the route is identified as the question target route. Inaddition, when the question location is not present on a route, a routeat the closest distance from the question location is identified as thequestion target route. The map information may be acquired from thememory 32 in the communication terminal 6 or may be acquired from anexternal server through communication. in addition, the publictransportation is a monorail, a cable car, a ferry, or the like, otherthan a bus or an electric train. In S102, not all the sections of theroute of public transportation, which is a question target, but only asection (for example, a section between stations behind and ahead of thequestion location) that is influenced by an incident that occurs at thequestion location may be identified.

Subsequently, in S103, the CPU 31 determines whether the currentlocation of the user is located within the question target route or astation (including a stop, a ferry terminal, and the like) in thequestion target route on the basis of the current location of the userwho answers the answer target question message, acquired in S41, and thequestion target route identified in S102.

When it is determined that the current location of the user is locatedin the question target route or a station in the question target route(YES in S103), the process proceeds to S104. In contrast to this, whenit is determined that the current location of the user is not located inthe question target route or a station in the question target route (NOin S103), the process proceeds to S105.

In S104, because the user is located within the question target route ora station in the question target route (that is riding on publictransportation for the route that is a question target), the CPU 31recognizes that the user can have a correct answer to the answer targetquestion message, and determines that “restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by the user to the answer target questionmessage is not applied”. After that, the process proceeds to S27. As aresult, the answer input screen is displayed through the communicationterminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed to post an answer message tothe answer target question message. Accordingly, the user who posted thequestion message and a third-person user are allowed to access theanswer message posted as an answer to the question message.

On the other hand, in S105, the CPU 31 determines whether the user ispresent within a predetermined distance (for example, within 500 m) fromthe station in the question target route on the basis of the currentlocation of the user who answers the answer target question message,acquired in S41, and the question target route identified in S102. Thepredetermined distance is a threshold stored in the memory, or the like,and is set in consideration of user's moving speed, or the like.

When it is determined that the user is present at the predetermineddistance from the station in the question target route (YES in S105),the process proceeds to S104. Because it is assumed that the user waslocated within the question target route until recently (that is, hadbeen riding on public transportation for the route that is a questiontarget until recently), it is recognized that the user can have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, and it isdetermined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is notapplied”.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the user is not presentat the predetermined distance from the station in the question targetroute (NO in S105), the process proceeds to S106.

In S106, the CPU 31 determines whether the user was located at thestation in the question target route within the last predeterminedperiod of time (for example, ten minutes) on the basis of the history ofthe current location of the user who answers the answer target questionmessage and the question target route identified in S102. Thepredetermined period of time is a threshold stored in the memory, or thelike, and is set in consideration of user's memory, or the like.

When it is determined that the user was located at the station in thequestion target route within the last predetermined period of time (YESin S106), the process proceeds to S104. Because the user was locatedwithin the question target route until recently (that is, had beenriding on public transportation for the route that is a question targetuntil recently), it is recognized that the user can have a correctanswer to the answer target question message, and it is determined that“restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by the userto the answer target question message is not applied”.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the user was not locatedat the station in the question target route within the lastpredetermined period of time (NO in S106), the process proceeds to S107.

In S107, because the user did not ride on public transportation in thequestion target route and there is no history that the user had beenriding until recently, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user cannot have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, and determinesthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser to the answer target question message is applied”. After that, theprocess proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is notdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 (S28), and the user isnot allowed to post an answer message to the answer target questionmessage. Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and athird-party user are not allowed to access an answer message that isposted as an answer to the question message.

Hereinafter, the determination process in S103 to S107 will be describedby way of a specific example. In FIG. 26, description will be made onthe case where there are Users A to D as respondents and the answertarget question message is a question message for asking the servicesituation of a route 75 on which a question location Z is specified. Inthe example shown in FIG. 26, User A present within the same route asthe question target route 75 and User B present within a station 76 inthe question target route 75 can have a correct answer (that is, theservice situation of the route 75) to the answer target questionmessage, so it is determined that “restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by User A or User B to the answer target questionmessage is not applied”. In addition, User C who is not located withinthe question target route 75 or the station 76 but is located within thepredetermined distance from the station 76 (or was located at thestation 76 the predetermined period of time before) can also have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, so it isdetermined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by User C to the answer target question message is notapplied”. On the other hand, User D who is not located at the questiontarget route 75 or the station 76 and is located remote from the station76 cannot have a correct answer to the answer target question message,so it is determined that “restriction on access to an answer message tobe answered by User D to the answer target question message is applied”.In the above-described example, the description is made on the examplein which restriction on access is not applied in the case where therespondent is not located within the question target route 75 or thestation 76 but is located within the predetermined distance from thestation 76 (or was located at the station 76 the predetermined period oftime before); instead, it may be configured such that restriction onaccess is not applied in the case where the respondent is not locatedwithin the question target route 75 or the station 76 but is locatedwithin the predetermined distance from the station 76 and was located atthe station 76 the predetermined period of time before. Specifically, itmay be implemented by modifying the flowchart of FIG. 25 as will bedescribed later. That is, negative determination from S105 to S106 inFIG. 25 is changed to affirmative determination that means ANDcondition, the process of S107 is executed after the process of S106 isexecuted, affirmative determination from S105 to S104 is deleted,negative determination in the determination process of S105 is insertedfrom S105 to between S106 and S107, and the process of S107 is executedafter the negative determination. Thus, it is possible to determine thecase where the respondent is not located within the question targetroute 75 or the station 76 but is located within the predetermineddistance from the station 76 and was located at the station 76 thepredetermined period of time before. In this case, it is possible to setonly a user who goes out from a station yard for an answer respondent,so it is possible to set a user who could have had a correct answer tothe answer target question message as a target.

On the other hand, in S108, the CPU 31 determines whether the answertarget question message is particularly a question message for askinginformation about a station or stop on the basis of the sentence of theanswer target question message acquired in S42. Specifically, when aword relating to a station or stop is included in the sentence of theanswer target question message, it is determined that the answer targetquestion message is a question message for asking information about astation or a stop. The word relating to a station or stop is, forexample, a word, such as the name of a station and the name of a stop.

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a station or a stop (YESin S108), the process proceeds to S109. In contrast to this, when it isdetermined that the answer target question message is not a questionmessage for asking information about a station or a stop (NO in S108),the process proceeds to S110.

In S109, the CPU 31 executes facility determination process (FIG. 27)(described later). The facility determination process is a process ofdetermining whether restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is applied onthe basis of the question location and question contents associated withthe answer target question message for asking information about afacility, the current location (respondent positional information) ofthe user (that is, the respondent), and the like.

In S110, the CPU 31 executes range determination process (FIG. 29)(described later). The range determination process is a process ofdetermining whether restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is applied onthe basis of the question location, that is, the positional informationassociated with the question message (question positional information),and question contents, associated with the answer target questionmessage for asking information about an area around the questionlocation, the current location (respondent positional information) ofthe user (that is, the respondent), and the like.

Next, the sub-process of the facility determination process that isexecuted in S53 or S109 will be described with reference to FIG. 27.FIG. 27 is a flowchart of the sub-process program of the facilitydetermination process.

Initially, in S111, the CPU 31 identifies a facility that is a questiontarget (hereinafter, referred to as question target facility) on thebasis of the question location associated with the answer targetquestion message, that is, the positional information associated withthe question message (question positional information), and the mapinformation. Specifically, when the question location is present at afacility, the facility is identified as the question target facility. Inaddition, when the question location is not present at a facility, afacility present at a distance closest from the question location isidentified as the question target facility. The map information may beacquired from the memory 32 in the communication terminal 6 or may beacquired from an external server through communication.

Subsequently, in S112, the CPU 31 determines whether the currentlocation of the user is located within the question target facility onthe basis of the current location of the user who answers the answertarget question message, acquired in S41, and the question targetfacility identified in S111.

When it is determined that the current location of the user is locatedwithin the question target facility (YES in S112), the process proceedsto S113. In contrast to this, when it is determined that the currentlocation of the user is not located within the question target facility(NO in S112), the process proceeds to S114.

In S113, because the user is located within the question targetfacility, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user can have a correct answerto the answer target question message, and determines that “restrictionon access to an answer message to be answered by the user to the answertarget question message is not applied”. After that, the processproceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is displayedthrough the communication terminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed topost an answer message to the answer target question message.Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and a third-personuser are allowed to access the answer message posted as an answer to thequestion message.

On the other hand, in S114; the CPU 31 determines whether the user ispresent within a predetermined distance (for example, within 500 m) fromthe question target facility on the basis of the current location of theuser who answers the answer target question message, acquired in S41,and the question target facility identified in S111. The predetermineddistance is a threshold stored in the memory, or the like, and is set inconsideration of user's moving speed, or the like.

When it is determined that the user is present at the predetermineddistance from the question target facility (YES in S114), the processproceeds to S113. Because it is assumed that the user had been stayingat the question target facility until recently, it is recognized thatthe user can have a correct answer to the answer target questionmessage, and it is determined that “restriction on access to an answermessage to be answered by the user to the answer target question messageis not applied”.

When it is determined that the user is not present at the predetermineddistance from the question target facility (NO in S114), the processproceeds to S115.

In S115, the CPU 31 determines whether the user was located at thequestion target facility within the last predetermined period of time(for example, ten minutes) on the basis of the history of the currentlocation of the user who answers the answer target question message andthe question target facility identified in S111. The predeterminedperiod of time is a threshold stored in the memory, or the like, and isset in consideration of user's memory, or the like.

When it is determined that the user was located at the question targetfacility within the last predetermined period of time (YES in S115), theprocess proceeds to S113. Because the user had been staying at thequestion target facility until recently, it is recognized that the usercan have a correct answer to the answer target question message, and itis determined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by the user to the answer target question message is notapplied”.

In contrast to this, when it is determined that the user was not locatedat the question target facility within the last predetermined period oftime (NO in S115), the process proceeds to S116.

In S116, because the user did not stay at the question target facilityand there is no history that the user had been stayed until recently,the CPU 31 recognizes that the user cannot have a correct answer to theanswer target question message, and determines that “restriction onaccess to an answer message to be answered by the user to the answertarget question message is applied”. After that, the process proceeds toS27. As a result, the answer input screen is not displayed through thecommunication terminal 6 (S28), and the user is not allowed to post ananswer message to the answer target question message. Accordingly, theuser who posted the question message and a third-party user are notallowed to access an answer message that is posted as an answer to thequestion message.

Hereinafter, the determination process in S112 to S116 will be describedby way of a specific example. In FIG. 28, description will be made onthe case where there are Users A to C as respondents and the answertarget question message is a question message for asking a crowdedcondition of a facility 77 on which a question location P is specified.In the example shown in FIG. 28, User A present at the question targetfacility 77 can have a correct answer (that is, a crowded condition ofthe question target facility 77) of the answer target question message,so it is determined that “restriction on access to an answer message tobe answered by User A to the answer target question message is notapplied”. In addition, User B who is not located within the questiontarget facility 77 but is located within the predetermined distance fromthe question target facility 77 (or was located at the question targetfacility 77 the predetermined period of time before) can also have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, so it isdetermined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by User B to the answer target question message is notapplied”. On the other hand, User C who is not located within thequestion target facility 77 and is located remote from the questiontarget facility 77 cannot have a correct answer to the answer targetquestion message, so it is determined that “restriction on access to ananswer message to be answered by User C to the answer target questionmessage is applied”. In the above-described example, the description ismade on the example in which restriction on access is not applied in thecase where the respondent is located within the predetermined distancefrom the question target facility 77 (or was located at the questiontarget facility 77 the predetermined period of time before); instead, itmay be configured such that restriction on access is not applied in thecase where the respondent is located within the predetermined distancefrom the question target facility 77 and was located at the questiontarget facility 77 the predetermined period of time before.Specifically, it may be implemented by modifying the flowchart of FIG.27 as will be described later. That is, negative determination from S114to S115 in FIG. 27 is changed to affirmative determination that meansAND condition, the process of S115 is executed after the process of S114is executed, affirmative determination from S114 to S113 is deleted,negative determination in the determination process of S114 is insertedfrom S114 to between S115 and S116, and the process of S116 is executedat the time of negative determination. Thus, it is possible to determinethe case where the respondent is located within the predetermineddistance from the question target facility 77 and was located at thequestion target facility 77 the predetermined period of time before. Inthis case, it is possible to set only a user who goes out from aquestion target facility for an answer respondent, so it is possible toset a user who could have had a correct answer to the answer targetquestion message as a target.

Next, the sub-process of the range determination process that isexecuted in S55, S88 or S110 will be described with reference to FIG.29. FIG. 29 is a flowchart of the sub-process program of the rangedetermination process.

Initially, in S121, the CPU 31 determines whether the answer targetquestion message is a question message for particularly askinginformation about a wide area (for example, prefectures, cities, wards,towns or villages) on the basis of the sentence of the answer targetquestion message acquired in S42. Specifically, when a word relating toa wide area is included in the sentence of the answer target questionmessage, it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a wide area. The wordrelating to a wide area is, for example, a word, such as a prefecturename, a city name, a ward name, a town name, a village name, or aweather condition (shiny, cloudy, rainy).

When it is determined that the answer target question message is aquestion message for asking information about a wide area (YES in S121),the process proceeds to S122. In contrast to this, when it is determinedthat the answer target question message is not a question message havinginformation about a wide area (NO in S121), that is, when it isdetermined that the answer target question message is a question messagehaving information about a narrow area, such as a local incident orevent, the process proceeds to S123.

In S122, the CPU 31 identifies an area that is a question target(hereinafter, referred to as question target area) on the basis of thequestion location associated with the answer target question message,that is, the positional information associated with the question message(question positional information) and the map information. Specifically,a prefecture, a city, a ward, a town or a village that includes thequestion location is identified as the question target area. Inaddition, the question target area may be set within a predetermineddistance (for example, 50 km) about the question location. However, thequestion target area is set to a range wider than the question targetarea set in S123 (described later). The map information may be acquiredfrom the memory 32 in the communication terminal 6 or may be acquiredfrom an external server through communication.

On the other hand, in S123, the CPU 31 identifies a question target areaon the basis of the question location associated with the answer targetquestion message, that is, the positional information associated withthe question message (question positional information) and the mapinformation. A question target area to be identified is an area narrowerthan that in S1222. Specifically, the question target area is set withinthe predetermined distance (for example, 500 m) about the questionlocation.

Subsequently, in S124, the CPU 31 determines whether the currentlocation of the user is located within the question target area on thebasis of the current location of the user who answers the answer targetquestion message, acquired in S41, and the question target areaidentified in S122 or S123.

When it is determined that the current location of the user is locatedwithin the question target area (YES in S124), the process proceeds toS125. In contrast to this, when it is determined that the currentlocation of the user is not located within the question target area (NOin S124), the process proceeds to S126.

In S125, because the user is located within the question target area,the CPU 31 recognizes that the user can have a correct answer to theanswer target question message, and determines that “restriction onaccess to an answer message to be answered by the user to the answertarget question message is not applied”. After that, the processproceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is displayedthrough the communication terminal 6 in S29, and the user is allowed topost an answer message to the answer target question message.Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and a third-personuser are allowed to access the answer message posted as an answer to thequestion message.

On the other hand, in S126, because the user is not located within thequestion target area, the CPU 31 recognizes that the user cannot have acorrect answer to the answer target question message, and determinesthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser to the answer target question message is applied”. After that, theprocess proceeds to S27. As a result, the answer input screen is notdisplayed through the communication terminal 6 (S28), and the user isnot allowed to post an answer message to the answer target questionmessage. Accordingly, the user who posted the question message and athird-party user are not allowed to access an answer message that isposted as an answer to the question message.

Hereinafter, the determination process in S124 to S126 will be describedby way of a specific example. In FIG. 30, description will be made onthe case where there are. User A and User B as respondents and theanswer target question message is a question message for asking aweather condition around a question location Q specified. In the exampleshown in FIG. 30, User A present in a question target area 80 within apredetermined distance from the question location Q can have a correctanswer to the answer target question message (that is, a weathercondition around the question location Q), so it is determined that“restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by User A tothe answer target question message is not applied”. On the other hand,User B who is not located within the question target area 80 cannot havea correct answer to the answer target question message, so it isdetermined that “restriction on access to an answer message to beanswered by User B to the answer target question message is applied”.

As described in detail above, in the information sharing system 1according to the first embodiment and the information sharing methodused in the information sharing system 1, when operation to post aquestion message is conducted by the user 5 who is a questioner,information about the question message is stored in the posted messageinformation DB 8 in association with the question location specified bythe questioner (S12). On the other hand, when a request to access aquestion message is issued from the user 5 who is a respondent, thequestion message corresponding to the access request is extracted fromamong the question messages stored in the posted message information DB8 (S32), and information about the question message is transmitted tothe communication terminal 6, from which the access request has beenissued, together with the associated question location (S33). Then, inthe communication terminal 6 that has received the information about thequestion message, on the basis of the question location associated withthe question message, that is, the positional information associatedwith the question message (question positional information), and thepositional information of the respondent (respondent positionalinformation), the questioner is restricted from accessing an answermessage and is allowed to access only the answer message posted from aspecific respondent (S28, S29), so, when the questioner accesses ananswer message to the question message posted on the computer network,it is possible to restrict access to only an answer message answered byan appropriate respondent who can have an answer. As a result, it ispossible to improve the reliability of information that is posted fromthe user 5. In addition, it is determined whether restriction on accessto an answer message is applied on the basis of the contents of thequestion message (S43 to S45), so it is possible to appropriately applyrestriction on access to only a reasonable answer message to whichrestriction on access should be applied. As a result, it is possible tocollect information from wider-target users while improving thereliability of information. In addition, particularly, when the answertarget question message is a question that requires an answer in realtime, the questioner is restricted from accessing an answer message, soit is possible to appropriately apply restriction on access such thatonly an answer in real time is obtained for a question that requires ananswer in real time. In addition, when the question message correspondsto the fixed message, it is determined whether the question message is aquestion that requires an answer in real time on the basis of the typeof the fixed message (S63), so it is possible to accurately determine,from the sentence of the answer target question message, whether thequestion message is a question that requires an answer in real time. Inaddition, even when the answer target question message does notcorrespond to any fixed message, it is determined whether the answertarget question message is a question that requires an answer in realtime by performing a syntactic analysis on the answer target questionmessage (S67 to S70), so it is possible to accurately determine, fromthe sentence of the answer target question message, whether the answertarget question message is a question that requires an answer in realtime. In addition, the range of a respondent who posts an answermessage, to which restriction on access is applied, is set on the basisof the relationship between the question location associated with theanswer target question message, that is, the positional informationassociated with the question message (question positional information),and the positional information that indicates the position of therespondent (respondent positional information), so it is possible torestrict access to only an answer message that is posted from anappropriate respondent present at a location at which the respondent canhave an answer. In addition, restriction on access is applied to theanswer message that is posted from a respondent who is located at apredetermined distance or longer apart from a location that isidentified by the positional information associated with the answertarget question message (question positional information), so it ispossible to restrict access to only an answer message that is postedfrom an appropriate respondent by applying restriction on access to ananswer message that is posted from a respondent present at a location atwhich the respondent cannot have an answer. In addition, restriction onaccess is applied to an answer message that is posted from a respondentthat is not located at a location that is identified by the positionalinformation associated with the question message (question positionalinformation) within the last predetermined period of time, so it ispossible to restrict access to only an answer message that is postedfrom an appropriate respondent by applying restriction on access to ananswer message that is posted from a respondent present at a location atwhich the respondent cannot have an answer. In addition, the range of arespondent who posts an answer message, to which restriction an accessis applied, is set on the basis of the relationship between the questionlocation associated with the answer target question message, that is,the positional information associated with the question message(question positional information), and the positional information thatindicates the location of the respondent at the time point at which thequestion message was posted or the time point at which an answer messageto the question message is posted (respondent positional information),so it is possible to restrict access to only an answer message that isposted from an appropriate respondent present at a location at which therespondent can have an answer. In addition, the questioner is restrictedfrom accessing an answer message by restricting the questioner frominputting the answer message to the communication terminal 6, so, at thetime when the respondent is caused to answer the question message postedon the computer network, it is possible to cause only an appropriaterespondent who can have an answer to input an answer message to theterminal. As a result, it is possible to improve the reliability ofinformation that is posted from the user 5. In addition, a location onthe map, specified by the questioner, is acquired as the questionlocation, that is, the positional information associated with thequestion message (question positional information), so it is possible toappropriately set the range of a respondent who can have an answer tothe question message on the basis of the location on the map, specifiedby the questioner. In addition, when the question icon 62 displayed at alocation that is identified by the question location associated with thequestion message is selected by the user, the question message is outputfrom the communication terminal 6, so it is possible to output from thecommunication terminal 6 a location on the map and a question messagerelating to the location in association with each other. Thus, the useris able to easily select a question message, intended to be accessed, onthe map and output the question message. In addition, when the questionicon 62 displayed at the location that is identified by the questionlocation associated with the question message is selected by the user,an answer message to the question message is output from thecommunication terminal 6 together with the question message, so it ispossible to output from the terminal a question message and an answermessage in association with each other.

Second Embodiment

Next, an information sharing system according to a second embodimentwill be described with reference to FIG. 31 and FIG. 32. In thefollowing description, like reference numerals to those of theconfiguration of the information sharing system 1 according to the firstembodiment in FIG. 1 to FIG. 30 denote the same or correspondingportions of the configuration of the information sharing system 1, andthe like, according to the first embodiment.

The schematic configuration of the information sharing system accordingto the second embodiment is substantially the same as the configurationof the information sharing system 1 according to the first embodiment.Various control processes are also substantially the same as the controlprocesses of the information sharing system 1 according to the firstembodiment. However, the information sharing system 1 according to thefirst embodiment restricts a user who posted a question message or athird-person user from accessing an answer message by causing arespondent not to input an answer message; whereas the informationsharing system according to the second embodiment differs from theinformation sharing system 1 according to the first embodiment in that auser who posted a question message or a third-person user is restrictedfrom accessing an answer message by causing an answer message input by arespondent not to be transmitted from the communication terminal 6 tothe posted message management center 2.

Hereinafter, an answer message posting process program that is executedin the communication terminal 6 and the posted message management center2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 31. FIG. 31 is a flowchart of the answer message posting processprogram according to the second embodiment.

First, the answer message posting process program that is executed inthe communication terminal 6 will be described. In S131, the CPU 31determines whether operation to require access to a question message hasbeen made on the basis of user's operation accepted by the inputoperation unit 39.

Then, as a result of determination in S131, when it is determined thatoperation to require access to the question message has been made in theinput operation unit 39 (YES in S131), the process proceeds to S132. Incontrast to this, when it is determined that operation to require accessto the question message has not been made by the input operation unit 39(NO in S131), the answer message posting process program is ended.

In S132, the CPU 31 transmits a request to access the question messagebased on user's operation to the posted message management center 2.Specifically, when the question icon 62 (see FIG. 10) has been selectedon the map image 61, an access request to require access to the questionmessage corresponding to the selected question icon 62 is transmitted;whereas, when a retrieval condition has been input, an access request torequire access to a question message corresponding to the retrievalcondition is transmitted. The posted message management center 2, uponreception of the access request to a question message, extracts thequestion message corresponding to the access request (for example, whenthe question icon 62 has been selected on the map image 61 as shown inFIG. 10, the question message associated with the selected question icon62) from among posted messages posted on the computer network on thebasis of the received access request (S143) as will be described later.When an answer message has been already posted for the question messagecorresponding to the access request, the answer message is alsoextracted.

Subsequently, in S133, the CPU 31 receives information about thequestion message transmitted from the posted message management center2. The information about the question message received in S133 isinformation about the question message extracted from among the questionmessages posted on the computer network on the basis of the accessrequest transmitted in S132. In addition, information about a postedmessage includes, in addition to the sentence of the posted message,posted time at which the posted message was posted, the type of postedmessage (that is, the question message), a question location,contributor's ID, and the like. When the information about the answermessage has also been transmitted from the posted message managementcenter 2, the information about the answer message is also received.

Subsequently, in S134, the CPU 31 displays the information about thequestion message, received in S133, on the display 38 (see FIG. 11).Specifically, the sentence of the question message, the posted time atwhich the question message was posted and the contributor's ID aredisplayed. In addition, voice that reads the question message may beoutput from the speaker 36. The posted time and the contributor's ID maybe configured not to be displayed. Furthermore, when there has beenalready an answer to the question message received in S133, the answermessage that has been answered till present time is also displayed.

After that, in S135, the CPU 31 determines whether operation that theuser expresses an intention to answer the question message displayed onthe display 38 in S134 has been made on the basis of user's operationaccepted by the input operation unit 39. Specifically, as shown in FIG.13, when the user has selected the answer button 64 displayed togetherwith the question message on the window 63 of the display 38, it isdetermined that operation that the user expresses an intention to answerthe displayed question message has been made.

Then, when it is determined that operation that the user expresses anintention to answer the displayed question message has been made (YES inS135), the process proceeds to S136. In contrast to this, when it isdetermined that operation that the user expresses an intention to answerthe displayed question message has not been made (NO in S135), theanswer message posting process program is ended.

In S136, the CPU 31 displays an answer message input screen forinputting an answer message on the display 38. The answer message inputscreen is a screen for allowing the user to input an answer message.

Subsequently, in S137, the CPU 31 acquires the sentence of the answermessage on the basis of user's operation input via the input operationunit 39. The sentence of the answer message is selected by the user fromfixed messages displayed on the display 38 as described above or anarbitrary sentence input by the user (see FIG. 15 and FIG. 16).

Subsequently, in S138, the CPU 31 executes the above-described accessrestriction determination process (FIG. 18). Here, as described above,the access restriction determination process is a process of determiningwhether restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser to the question message is applied on the basis of the questionlocation associated with the question message acquired in S133, that is,positional information (question positional information) and thequestion contents, associated with the question message, the currentlocation (respondent positional information) of the user (that is, therespondent), and the like. The details of the access restrictiondetermination process in S138 are similar to those of the firstembodiment, so the description is omitted.

After that, in S139, the CPU 31 determines whether the determinationresult of the access restriction determination process in S138 is theresult that “restriction on access to an answer message to be answeredby the user is applied”.

When the determination result of the access restriction determinationprocess in S138 is the determination result that “restriction on accessto an answer message to be answered by the user is not applied” (NO inS139), the process proceeds to S140.

In S140, the CPU 31 transmits the posted time at which the answermessage was posted, the contributor's ID and the type of posted message(that is, the answer message) together with the sentence of the answermessage acquired in S137 to the posted message management center 2 asanswer message information.

On the other hand, when the determination result of the accessrestriction determination process in S138 is the determination resultthat “restriction on access to an answer message to be answered by theuser is applied” (YES in S139), the process proceeds to S141 withouttransmitting the answer message information to the posted messagemanagement center 2.

In S141, the CPU 31 informs that the answer message is not transmittedto the posted message management center 2 because the user does notsatisfy a condition for allowing access to an answer message to beposted as shown in FIG. 32. Then, the answer message posting processprogram is ended without transmitting the input answer message to theposted message management center 2. As a result, the user who posted thequestion message and a third-person user are restricted from accessingthe answer message.

Next, the answer message posting process program that is executed in theposted message management center 2 will be described. Initially, inS142, the CPU 21 receives the request to access the question message,transmitted from the communication terminal 6.

Subsequently, in S143, the CPU 21 executes retrieval process ofretrieving a question message corresponding to the access request fromamong the posted messages posted on the computer network on the basis ofthe access request to the question message, received in S142.Specifically, information about the question message corresponding tothe access request is extracted from the posted message information(FIG. 3) stored in the posted message information DB 8. Informationabout a question message to be extracted also includes the questionlocation of the question message, that is, the positional informationassociated with the question message (question positional information).

After that, in S144, the CPU 21 transmits information about the questionmessage extracted in S143 (including the question location) to thecommunication terminal 6 that has required to access the questionmessage. As a result, in the communication terminal 6 that has issuedthe request to access the question message, the information about thequestion message intended by the user is output (S134).

In S145, the CPU 21 receives the answer message information transmittedfrom the communication terminal 6.

Subsequently, in S146, the CPU 21 stores the answer message information,received in S145, in the posted message information DB 8 (FIG. 3). Theanswer message information stored in the posted message information DB 8is configured to be accessible from the communication terminal 6.

As described in detail above, in the information sharing systemaccording to the second embodiment and the information sharing methodused in the information sharing system, the questioner is restrictedfrom accessing the answer message by restricting transmission of theanswer message from the communication terminal 6 to the posted messagemanagement center 2 after the answer message is input to thecommunication terminal 6, so, at the time when a respondent is caused toanswer the question message posted on the computer network, it ispossible to cause only the terminal of an appropriate respondent who canhave an answer to transmit an answer message to the server. As a result,it is possible to improve the reliability of information that is postedfrom the user.

The above-described embodiments are not limiting. Of course, variousimprovements and modifications are possible. For example, in the firstembodiment and the second embodiment, the communication terminal 6 isconfigured to execute the access restriction determination process inS26, S138 of the answer message posting process program (FIG. 12, FIG.31); instead, the posted message management center 2 may be configuredto execute part or all of the process. In this case, the determinationresult of the access restriction determination process is configured tobe transmitted from the posted message management center 2 to thecommunication terminal 6.

In addition, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, in theaccess restriction determination process (S24, S138), it is determinedwhether restriction on access to an answer message is applied on thebasis of the relationship between a question location associated with ananswer target question message, that is, positional informationassociated with the question message (question positional information),and the current location of a respondent (that is, the location of arespondent at the time point at which the respondent posts an answermessage to the question message); instead, it may be determined whetherrestriction on access to an answer message is applied on the basis ofthe relationship between a question location associated with an answertarget question message, that is, positional information associated withthe question message (question positional information), and the locationof a respondent at the time when the answer target question message wasposted. Specifically, in S41, the location of the respondent at the timewhen the answer target question message was posted is identified fromthe history of the location of the user, stored in the memory 32. Then,in the process after S42, the process is executed using the location ofthe respondent at the time when the answer target question message wasposted, instead of the current location. Thus, it is possible torestrict access to an answer message posted from only a respondent whocan have a situation at the time point closer to the time point at whicha questioner asked a question.

In addition, in the first embodiment and the second embodiment,information about a question location arbitrarily specified by aquestioner on the map at the question time point is used as positionalinformation associated with the question message (question positionalinformation); instead, positional information that indicates thelocation of a questioner at the time when a question message was posted(posted positional information) may also be used. In addition, anadministrative section, a link number, a facility ID, or the like, maybe associated as positional information instead of location coordinates.

1. An information sharing system in which, on a computer network formedof terminals of users and a server, information about a posted messageposted by a user is shared among the users, comprising: an electroniccontrol unit configured to: acquire a question message input via aterminal together with positional information associated with thequestion message; cause the acquired question message to be accessibleto the users on the computer network; acquire an answer message inputvia a sending terminal as an answer to the question message; cause theacquired answer message to be accessible to the users on the computernetwork; acquire positional information of a respondent that is the userwho inputs the answer message; and restrict a questioner that is theuser who posted the question message from accessing the answer messageon the basis of question positional information that is the positionalinformation associated with the question message and respondentpositional information that is the acquired positional information ofthe respondent.
 2. The information sharing system according to claim 1,wherein the electronic control unit is configured to: determine whetherthe restriction is applied based on a contents of the question message;and restrict the questioner from accessing the answer message when it isdetermined that the restriction is applied based on the contents of thequestion message.
 3. The information sharing system according to claim2, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to: determinewhether the question message is a question that requires an answer inreal time on the basis of the contents of the question message; anddetermine whether the restriction is based on a contents of the questionmessage applied when it is determined that the question message is aquestion that requires an answer in real time.
 4. The informationsharing system according to claim 3, wherein the electronic control unitis configured to: acquire correspondence relationship information thatassociates whether it is a question that requires an answer in real timewith each of multiple-type fixed messages; and determine whether thequestion message is a question that requires an answer in real time onthe basis of the correspondence relationship information when thequestion message corresponds to any one of the multiple-type fixedmessages.
 5. The information sharing system according to claim 3,wherein the electronic control unit is configured to determine whetherthe question message is a question that requires an answer in real timeby performing a syntactic analysis on the question message.
 6. Theinformation sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the electroniccontrol unit is configured to set a range of the respondent who poststhe answer message, to which restriction on access is applied, on thebasis of a relationship between the question positional information andthe respondent positional information.
 7. The information sharing systemaccording to claim 6, wherein the electronic control unit is configuredto apply the restriction on access to the answer message that is postedfrom the respondent who is located a predetermined distance or longerapart from a location that is identified by the question positionalinformation.
 8. The information sharing system according to claim 6,wherein the electronic control unit is configured to apply therestriction on access to the answer message that is posted from therespondent who is not located at a location that is identified by thequestion positional information within a last predetermined period oftime.
 9. The information sharing system according to claim 6, whereinthe electronic control unit is configured to set the range of therespondent who posts the answer message, to which restriction on accessis applied, on the basis of the relationship between the questionpositional information and the respondent positional information thatindicates a location of the respondent at the time point at which thequestion message was posted or the time point at which the answermessage to the question message is posted.
 10. The information sharingsystem according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit isconfigured to: accept transmission the acquired answer message from thesending terminal to the server; store the transmitted answer message inthe server; distribute the stored answer message from the server to anaccess terminal that intends to access the answer message for output onthe access terminal; and restrict the questioner from accessing theanswer message by restricting the transmission of the answer messagefrom the sending terminal to the server.
 11. The information sharingsystem according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit isconfigured to acquire information that identifies a location on a map,specified by the questioner, as the question positional information. 12.The information sharing system according to claim 1, wherein theelectronic control unit is configured to: display a map image on theaccess terminal; display a selection target at the location that isidentified by the question positional information, associated with theacquired question message, on the map image displayed on an accessterminal; and when the selection target has been selected by a user,output the acquired question message from the sending terminal.
 13. Theinformation sharing system according to claim 12, wherein the electroniccontrol unit is configured to output the answer message together withthe question message when the selection target displayed at the locationthat is identified by the question positional information, associatedwith the question message to which the answer message is made, has beenselected by the user.
 14. An information sharing method in which, on acomputer network formed of terminals of users and a server, informationabout a posted message posted by a user is shared among the users, themethod comprising: question message information acquisition step ofacquiring a question message input via the terminal together withpositional information associated with the question message; questionmessage accessing step of causing the question message acquired in thequestion message information acquisition step to be accessible to theusers on the computer network; answer message information acquisitionstep of acquiring an answer message input via the terminal as an answerto the question message; answer message accessing step of causing theanswer message acquired in the answer message information acquisitionstep to be accessible to the users on the computer network; respondentpositional information acquisition step of acquiring positionalinformation of a respondent that is the user who inputs the answermessage; and access restriction step of restricting a questioner that isthe user who posted the question message from accessing the answermessage on the basis of question positional information that is thepositional information associated with the question message andrespondent positional information that is the positional information ofthe respondent, acquired in the respondent positional informationacquisition step.
 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring computer-executable program for sharing information about aposted message posted by a user among a plurality of users, the programcomprising: instructions for acquiring a question message input via anoperating unit together with positional information associated with thequestion message; instructions for causing the acquired question messageto be accessible to the users on the computer network; instructions foracquiring an answer message input via the operating unit as an answer tothe question message; instructions for causing the acquired answermessage to be accessible to the users on the computer network;instructions for acquiring positional information of a respondent thatis the user who inputs the answer message; and instructions forrestricting a questioner that is the user who posted the questionmessage from accessing the answer message on the basis of questionpositional information that is the positional information associatedwith the question message and respondent positional information that isthe acquired positional information of the respondent.